…..

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another chapter! I appreciate everyone that has read, reviewed, favorited, followed, and private messaged. You all mean so much to me, and it has been so uplifting to see how much you're enjoying the story. I have over 500 reviews, which is something that I honestly didn't even dream of when I first started. I can't even tell you how much it means to me.

A reader private messaged me to congratulate me on reaching 500 reviews, and I was blown away when I realized that was true. When I first started this story (almost a year ago), I never expected to have even close to that many reviews. My goal was to reach 100 by the end. To have five times that means more to me than I could ever put into words. A special thank you to all of you that have taken the time to leave reviews.

I have already been working on the plots for several other stories, and since all of you have been so incredibly amazing, I wanted to give you the opportunity to choose which one you read first. Here are your options:

1. Steve McGarrett was married once, many years ago. He thought that maybe living and working in his home state of Hawaii would give him the distance that he needed to try to put the heartbreak far behind him once and for all. But when his ex-wife moves to the island with her family, he realizes that there is a very real possibility that moving on is never going to happen.

2. Kaya Romano belongs to an ancient society of assassins – The Silent Death. Her father, the leader of the assassins, asks her to go to Hawaii to oversee the group that is stationed there. When she meets Steve McGarrett, she tries her hardest not to fall for him, knowing that it would never work between them. And when she is tasked with killing the man that could be her redemption, can she break centuries worth of tradition to protect him? Or will she succumb and take her place as the new leader of The Silent Death?

3. Steve McGarrett finally feels settled in, having solved the mysteries that his father left behind. But he's quickly unsettled once more when there's a knock on his door late at night and the visitor is covered in bruises and stitches.

Cora Grant knew that there was only one place where she would feel completely protected from her abusive husband. But would Steve McGarrett take her in? Would he take a stance against a man that he had served beside? She would just have to take the chance.

So… you can leave your vote in the form of a review or a PM (or both, if you want extra votes). You can vote after each chapter up until this one. Yes, you can vote as many times as you want, so if there's one that you're really crazy about, make sure that you're voting on it. As I said, I already have outlines for all of these stories, so I'm pretty confident in each of them.

Thanks to everyone that has voted so far, and thanks in advance for those of you that are planning to vote! So far, number one and number three are in a close race to the finish, so be sure to get those votes in! You'll only have this chapter left to vote. (And someone was asking for more clarification on voting for chapter 27, so to be clear: you can vote until chapter 28 goes up.)

Happy Reading!

…..

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Slow Return To Normal

Allie

"It's been so long since I've been here," I said as I pulled through Uncle Edward's gate and towards his large garage. "It feels like a lifetime ago."

"It was." A shadow flitted across Steve's face. "I have a feeling that it's going to take a while for things to go back to normal."

As I waited for the garage door to lift, I reached over and took his hand. "But it will. And I don't know about you, but I'm in it for the long haul."

He responded to my teasing with a smile. "Me, too."

"Good." I skillfully backed into the parking space and then pushed the button to close the garage door behind us. Steve started to open his door to get out, but I reached over and put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Are you sure that you're okay with it?"

The smile that he gave me held no touch of uncertainty. "I'm one hundred percent okay with it. Like you said… it just… fits."

"I'm glad that you think so." After a deep breath, I nodded and went to open my door. "Okay. Let's go and see everyone."

Even though I knew that it was just going to be my family (and also some people that might as well have been my family), I was nervous to see everyone. It didn't really make any sense, so I tried to just push the feeling away. When that didn't work, I reached out for Steve's hand and he took it immediately. It didn't make the nerves go away, but it soothed them just enough for me to be brave.

Steve reached the door and placed his hand on the knob, looking at me encouragingly. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

He nodded and opened the door, gesturing for me to go inside first. I could see lights on in the grand living room, so I headed that way with Steve right on my heels.

I rounded the sharp corner and…

"WELCOME BACK!" The roar of multiple voices shouting made the baby jump in my stomach and I laughed as a cascade of bright confetti showered down on me and Steve, who was unluckily just a little too close to me.

The next several minutes were filled with hugs and kisses and questions and tears and so much emotion that I was close to sobbing by the time that I'd been herded to the front of the room.

"Drink something before you pass out," Kol laughed as he handed me a champagne flute filled with a gold, bubbling mixture.

"Uh, Kol?" I asked him pointedly.

He rolled his eyes at me. "So little faith. Yours is sparkling grape juice." He held his own glass up as if he was toasting. "Mine is not. Now, speech!"

Everyone cheered and agreed that I should say a few words, even though my head was spinning and I knew that I would sound like a total idiot. These people had worked so hard to get me back, though. If they wanted me to say a few words, then I would gladly do so.

As I cleared my throat, Steve stepped up beside me with his own glass, smiling and looking as though he'd been a member of this group for years. He definitely belonged here with all of us. Or maybe I just thought that he belonged wherever I was.

Whatever it was, I cleared my throat and felt more confident with him beside me.

"It's been a long time since I've seen most of you," I began as I looked out at the sea of faces. There were some people that I hadn't seen in maybe a decade, yet they had turned up to do their part in recovering me. It choked me up, and I had to clear my throat and begin again.

"I don't know if there are enough words in any language to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for the part that you played in helping me pull off this heist. A wise – and slightly eccentric – man," I looked at my Uncle Edward with a teasing smile, "once told me that the real heroes of a heist are the ones that do the grunt work. And that's all of you. You should all be so proud of yourselves, because none of this would have been possible without you."

"Especially me," Kol added, earning himself a smack upside the head from Trent and Max, who stood on either side of him. "Ow!"

"I've been learning a lot about family in the last year," I continued after everyone had a good laugh at Kol's expense. "I started working in a wonderful government task force in Hawaii, and those people are – and always will be – my ohana. I know that they'll have my back, no matter what happens. Just like all of you had my back. Family… it isn't what's in the blood. That's just genetics. Family is commitment. Family is love. Family is a choice. And I will be eternally grateful that you all chose to let me be a part of your family."

Raising my glass – and pushing back tears – I said, "To family."

"To family!" everyone echoed, and there were clinks from glasses before everyone began to drink.

"To family," Steve whispered in my ear, wrapping an arm around my waist from behind as he clinked his glass against mine. "Beautiful speech."

"I try," I said and took a sip of my sparkling grape juice. "Is the champagne good?"

"It is," Steve said teasingly. "You can try some in a few months."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Kol said loudly, and the chatter around the room began to die down as everyone turned their attention back to us. "Tell us about the baby!"

Everyone began to murmur their agreement, and I looked to Steve to see what he thought.

"It's up to you," he laughed. "If you want to keep it a surprise, that's fine."

"No," Kol quickly disagreed. "No, no, no it isn't fine. We all need to know. Gender and name."

Just to have a little fun, I asked, "Does anyone have any guesses on the gender?"

So, the next ten minutes were filled with questions about what I'd been craving and what the baby's heartrate was, etc. Sometime in the middle of all of the chatter, Kol retrieved a whiteboard from somewhere in the house and began acting as the self-appointed vote tracker.

"This is fun," Steve laughed as he watched the chaos.

I laughed with him and let him pour me some more juice. "It is. I'm glad we're doing this."

A few minutes later, everyone had casted their vote and it seemed that girl was the popular choice. Only by a few votes, though. I noticed that Kol had voted for a girl.

"Okay," I said, my smile feeling like it was splitting my face. "Everyone ready?"

I swear, you could have heard a pin drop in that room.

When I nodded, Steve announced, "It's a boy."

A cheer went up around the room.

"This is great!" Kol said when it started to die down. "Now you can name your baby after me!"

"We've already got a name, actually," I said and looked up at Steve, raising my eyebrows in a question.

He nodded.

"Care to share?" Trent asked us.

My smile somehow widened.

"Ari. Ari Steven McGarrett."

Steve

The week after the heist and Medici's death passed far more quickly than I had thought that it would. I finally got to attend a doctor's appointment with Allie, where her OB assured me that her weight was fine because the baby was growing right on track. We also got the appropriate paperwork to have Allie transferred to the care of an obstetrician back in Hawaii. Apparently, Allie already had one picked out and talked to their office and everything. Such a planner.

We spent the rest of the time exploring the city. Allie showed me some of her favorite places and we explored some new ones together. Paris was beautiful, certainly, but I couldn't wait to be back in Hawaii. The architecture of Paris just couldn't compare to the beaches of my home for me. Allie revealed that she felt the same way.

"It's your home, too," I told her, proud.

"No," she disagreed and kissed me. "You're my home. You and Ari. Wherever you go, I'll go. Hawaii, France, India…"

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "Not India. I don't think I can find a good burger in India."

She laughed. "Yeah, that's the biggest problem with that plan."

We arrived at the airport on Monday evening, all set to fly home. Edward had offered us the use of his jet, but Allie and I had wanted to make the flight like a "normal" couple. Still, he had insisted on upgrading us to first class.

"Speaking of first class," I murmured to Allie as we watched her brothers check our suitcases in for us, "are we ever going to talk about all that money in your safe at home?"

Her smile was full of secrets. "It's my just in case money."

"There's like half a million dollars in there." Not that I had actually counted. It was just a guess.

"Exactly half a million," she agreed. "Yes." And then she moved to thank her brothers for bringing our luggage in for us.

As she said goodbye to Trent, Michael, and Max, Kol found me and shook my hand, grinning broadly. "I'm pleased to inform you that I'll be coming back to Hawaii with you."

To say that I was surprised was a gross understatement. "I thought you were going to stay in Paris and see what mischief you could get up to here." At least, that had been his plan up to the previous night.

He discreetly glanced over his shoulder, where his father stood a short distance away, observing the farewell. At his side was Evelyn, looking so longingly at her embracing children, likely wishing that she was among them. But none of them had really forgiven her yet, and I couldn't blame them. She hadn't exactly acted like much of a mother over the years, so she couldn't really expect to be treated like one now.

Kol looked back at me. "Mommy Dearest plans to remain in Paris with my father for a while. Edward needs some help planning a job in Germany."

"A job." Meaning a con. And somehow, I was perfectly okay with that. Well… maybe okay wasn't the right word, but I didn't plan to out them, provided they never brought their crimes to Hawaii. After all, they were family now.

"That's what I said. Anyway," Kol continued, "I know that Allie is wanting the wedding to happen before the baby comes, so I should be on hand to help with that, I think. You know, venues to scout, cake to test… that kind of thing."

I couldn't fight my smile. "Right. Well, you're more than welcome to come and stay with us."

"Uh, no, thanks," he said, holding up his hands and wrinkling his nose distastefully. "You and Allie have been staying in a hotel every night because you've been apart for so long and can't seem to take your hands off of each other. I don't need to be around to witness that."

"That's probably a smart call."

He nodded and clapped my shoulder. "I'm going to go and give Allie the good news."

"You do that."

Once he was gone, Michael, Max, and Trent came over to bid their farewells to me.

Michael went last, and he smiled as he shook my hand. "If you ever decide to switch sides, we could really use your skills."

"Likewise," I told him seriously. "If you ever decide to go into law enforcement…"

Trent laughed. "That would be a disaster waiting to happen."

That earned him a slap upside the head from his older brother, who frowned disapprovingly and began to describe the traits that would make him an excellent law enforcement officer. They continued to argue as they walked right past their parents and out the doors of the airport.

Kol and Allie walked over, and Kol announced that he was going to go ahead and go through security. "Allie wants to say goodbye to our father, but I don't want to be anywhere near that woman."

"I don't, either," Allie informed him. "But I should say goodbye to Dad."

"You do that." Lifting his hand, Kol turned and moved for the escalators, which would take him up to the security area.

I grabbed Allie's hand, smiling. "Ready?"

"Not to be around her." She sighed. "Let's make it quick."

"Well, it's not like we have a ton of time, anyway," I reminded her. "We still have to get through security and then find our terminal and then board."

"Good point." We had reached her parents and she pointedly avoided eye contact with her mother as she hugged her father and thanked him for everything that he had done.

"Of course," he told her gruffly as he held her, tears in his eyes. "You're my only little girl. You know I'd do anything in the world for you."

Allie pulled away and smiled. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded. "See you soon."

Evelyn began to step forward as if to say something, but Allie turned sharply, taking me with her, and we began to move for the escalators only a few minutes behind Kol.

"That wasn't so bad," I said as we rode up towards security.

"I guess not," she muttered, but there was a sadness about her that I knew would last for years to come.

Allie

"People are too cheery here," I complained as I watched a group of college girls shriek as they tried to take a good selfie.

Steve smiled good-naturedly. "It's the middle of the day here."

"Don't remind me." Thanks to layovers and a delay, we were arriving in the middle of the day instead of during the night. "Now, I have to wait like another six hours to sleep, or I'll never get rid of this jetlag."

"What?" Kol brushed by me to claim his suitcase. "You have a blank check to sleep whenever you want, Allie. Use it."

"He's right," Steve pointed out. "Pregnant women get to take as many naps as they want. And you didn't sleep very well on the plane, so I think getting a nap in sounds like an excellent idea."

It sounded like an excellent idea to me, too, but… "If I sleep now, the jetlag is just going to keep getting worse. I need to stay up, go to bed later tonight, and try to put this whole mess behind me."

"Whatever you say," Steve said and moved to grab our luggage.

Once everything had been claimed, we moved through the airport and towards the exit. We rounded the final corner and then I was almost tackled as someone squealed and threw their arms around me.

"Whoa!" I said.

It was Kono's voice that I heard in my ear. "I'm so glad that you're back!"

I hugged her back. "It's good to be back."

She pulled away to allow Chin, and then Danny, to hug me and welcome me back. Then, they moved on to Steve, and finally to Kol.

"Thanks for coming to drop off the truck," Steve said as Danny handed over the keys.

"No problem," Danny responded with a smile. "I'm glad that everyone is back in one piece and no one died."

"Well…." Steve said thoughtfully. "A few guys died. And Medici… he died…"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Well, I mean, you were involved, so of course there was some death."

They continued to bicker until Chin cut in, holding a small silver gift box out to Steve. "I brought what you asked for."

Steve took the box and looked around at the members of Five-O. "You all agree?"

They each nodded, smiling.

I didn't really like being in the dark. "Agree with what?"

Winking at me, Steve turned to Kol and held the box out to him. "This is for you."

Kol was even more surprised than I was as he reached out and took it. "It's not my birthday."

"I'm aware," Steve said.

"Open it!" Kono clapped.

Shrugging, my twin took the lid off and then stared inside, his expression morphing from curiosity to awe.

"What's in it?" I asked impatiently.

From inside, he withdrew a gold badge that glinted in the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

It was a Five-O badge.

My twin looked at my future husband and asked, "You really want me to join the team?"

"We all do," Danny said in a rare moment of seriousness. "You're very skilled, and we could really use you here."

"That is… if you want to stay here in Hawaii with your twin and your nephew," Steve teased him.

Kol turned to me, grinning, and said, "I'd love nothing more."

Tears in my eyes, I hugged him. "Welcome back to the side of the law."

He sighed. "The only downside."

Everyone laughed and moved to congratulate him.

And I silently rejoiced in the new normal.